23 year old Reiji Suzuki is going to have an operation tomorrow which might just end up being fatal. He despises himself and the life that he has led till now. So when he finds a young woman asking whether he has any last wish, he finds himself in a...
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Suzuki Reiji still couldn't accept the fact that he was going to die tomorrow.
About a month ago, he was diagnosed with a lung disease. The only cure that the doctors knew was to perform a surgery. But the catch was that it came with more than an eighty percent chance of death.
Hence, on this cool autumn afternoon, Reiji found himself leaning onto the hospital roof's railing and debating in his head whether to inform his parents about his condition.
He had left his parents' place about a year ago. He had always wanted to be an astronaut since his childhood because he liked space and the stars. But due to poor academic records and a surprising amount of lethargic insincerity, he had finally ended up working in an IT firm. His parents wanted him to do better with his life but he wasn't ready to struggle anymore. After their last argument regarding the same, they had barely talked with each other since.
He peered over the railing and looked down at the street below. People were going about their business as usual. No one would probably care whether he lived or died tomorrow. And nobody should either. He was a failure of a human being who had failed to work for his dreams and was just a mere disappointment to his loved ones. Maybe it was providence that he got sick, probably God's way of telling him that he was worthless.
"I wonder what happens after death...," Reiji found himself wondering aloud as he contemplated jumping over the railing right then and there.
"You still haven't stopped talking to yourself, have you, Suzuki-san?"
A playful giggle floated to Reiji's ears.
He turned around to see Yuki standing beside him. In the past month that he had spent in the hospital, he had often found himself sneaking off to the rooftop whenever he needed a break. Much to his surprise, a young woman named Yuki also happened to have the same habit. Reiji had gotten to know her quite well as they had whiled away their time chatting on the rooftop together all these days. Apparently she had a chronic heart disease and had been visiting the hospital regularly since her childhood.
"I thought I was alone," Reiji said. He didn't really want to be disturbed at that moment and the impatience was obvious in his voice.
"Exactly, that is my point," Yuki replied, "You always keep talking to yourself even when there is nobody around."
Yuki had been feeling weaker than usual lately so Reiji had been worried about her. He was relieved to find that she looked much healthier now.
Before he could answer back to her though, Reiji was interrupted by a violent bout of coughing and attempted to cover his mouth with his hands. His lungs seemed to throb in pain even as his throat felt like it had caught on fire. As he slowly regained his composure after the coughing subsided, he found huge drops of blood covering the palm of his hands.
Reiji looked at Yuki's concerned face and heaved a sign of resignation.
"Suppose you could have a wish, any wish. What would you wish for?," she asked him.
